Chapter 39: That Time I Rode the K-Wave in South America (2)

TL: Skye

"Your Excellency, I have good news. The transfer of rights for 170 properties owned by the gangs has been completed."

I widened my eyes at Lucio's report.

"Already? I only mentioned it yesterday."

"Yes. It was possible thanks to the owners readily agreeing."

"How much did the purchase cost? I was worried since the budget isn't exactly generous."

At my question, Lucio answered with a good-natured smile.

"It didn't cost a single penny."

"...Excuse me?"

"When we said we were purchasing the properties, the homeowners voluntarily donated them. They said to use them for the nation's development."

I doubted my own ears for a moment.

"Is that true? There was no coercion or intimidation involved?"

"How could there be? We simply conveyed Your Excellency's noble intentions. Upon hearing them, everyone shed tears of gratitude and stamped their thumbprints. Some were even trembling with joy."

"Huh..."

I let out a sound of amazement.

"Just as Your Excellency wisely foresaw, nature truly does have the power to heal. It seems that sweating and toiling in the great outdoors has turned them into new people."

"That's truly wonderful news. And I mean the fact that those people had a change of heart, even more than the hotel being built."

"Is it not all thanks to Your Excellency's benevolence?"

Lucio bowed deeply in the Korean fashion.

"Very well. Since Director Lucio has put in this much effort, I can't just sit idle. I'll instruct Chief Secretary Resa to commence construction immediately."

"Understood."

The moment Lucio left, I called for Isabella.

"Director Isabella, has the site for the Korean embassy been decided?"

"Yes, I've narrowed it down to a few candidate locations."

Isabella spread out a map. However, the spot she pointed to was not in the city center.

"Here... is it?"

"Yes. It was used as a villa by the Portuguese governors during the colonial era. The grounds are spacious and security is easy to maintain."

"But this is on the outskirts of Libertad?"

Embassies are typically located in accessible downtown areas or diplomatic districts.

Yet the spot Isabella had chosen was like a neighborhood at the foot of Dobongsan, right before entering Uijeongbu, if compared to Seoul. [TL: Dobongsan and Uijeongbu are a mountain and a satellite city on the far northern outskirts of Seoul, far from the city center.]

"Won't the Korean embassy staff find it inconvenient?"

Isabella explained with a serious expression.

"The city center has heavy foot traffic, which could expose them to the risk of terrorist attacks. However, this location has only one access road, making checkpoints easy to set up and providing an optimal position for defense in an emergency. Since the Korean government has also demanded safety as the top priority, they should be satisfied."

"Hmm, that's true, but..."

She wasn't wrong. San Marcos was a nation that had suffered tremendous pain from bomb attacks, after all.

But.

'If it's too far, it'll be hard for me to visit.'

I had planned to stop by now and then to pick up things like ramyeon, coffee mix, soju, and kimchi, so wouldn't it be a problem if it was too far away?

Seeing my uneasy expression, Isabella added,

"Instead, we plan to arrange a dedicated shuttle bus running between the city center and the embassy. We'll also repave the road so there's no inconvenience in traveling."

"Well, if that's the case... Understood. Coordinate with the Korean side and proceed."

"And there's one more thing I'd like to propose."

Isabella's eyes sparkled as she showed a blueprint saved on her tablet.

"What is it?"

"I thought it might be a good idea to remodel Libertad Central Plaza to boost tourism, so I drew this up."

"You can do this sort of thing too?"

"I studied design when I attended university in Brazil."

"...Isabella, is there really anything you can't do? All right. How do you plan to proceed?"

"The plaza floor will be paved with stone, the old fountain will be rebuilt, and a monument will be erected in the center."

"A monument? Are you planning to raise a national flag or something?"

"No. A statue of Your Excellency."

"...Excuse me?"

Isabella excitedly zoomed in on the blueprint. Something in the shape of a person that hadn't been visible before now stood there.

"No."

I grimaced and crossed my arms in an X.

"Rejected. Absolutely rejected."

"What? Why not? The people want it too, and it would make a great photo spot for tourists."

"You'd be better off building a Pororo statue. That would be far more popular." [TL: Pororo is a beloved Korean animated penguin character, hugely popular with children.]

"Tch."

Isabella pouted and showed the next blueprint.

"Then at least approve the creation of a forest park."

"A forest park with a panoramic view of Libertad... Now this is nice. I'll approve it, so make it something impressive."

"I'll have it perfectly prepared."

Isabella answered spiritedly and left.

'A statue... What a terrifying idea.'

What is this, North Korea? Building a statue.

***

A few days later, the welcome news reached Yu-jin that a direct flight route connecting Korea and San Marcos had been opened.

In truth, it had been a near-impossible feat. From an airline's perspective, regularly flying to a small island nation in South America with uncertain demand was practically guaranteed to be a loss.

But Yu-jin managed to accomplish the impossible through the power of his connections.

[Ha ha, as it happens, Chairman Park of Jinhankal is a member of our association. I'll put in a call, so just wait a moment. You'll be getting good news.]

Claiming they were close friends from some sort of patriots' association, Chairman Jeong personally called the chairman who owned the airline, and before long, a working-level delegation came to San Marcos.

Of course, it wasn't free. For a publicly listed airline, creating a route that was obviously going to lose money could constitute a breach of fiduciary duty.

To address this, Yu-jin offered the exceptional terms of supplying jet fuel from the oil refinery plant to be built later at 10% below market price, and Koreana Airlines' working-level team accepted.

It had been the most difficult task, yet also the one that was resolved most easily.

And there was more to celebrate.

Namely, Korea Zinc's nickel mine had officially begun operations.

Countless people flocked to commemorate this historic moment that would reshape the economic landscape of San Marcos.

"Your Excellency, we're ready."

"Let's go."

In place of Isabella, who had to oversee the forest park and couldn't attend, Yu-jin arrived with Resa, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. He ascended the stage in a sharp suit and white gloves.

Standing beside him with a bright smile was Park Chanjun, CEO of Korea Zinc.

"One, two, three!"

Snip!

The moment the golden scissors cut the red ribbon, camera flashes erupted from every direction.

Yu-jin firmly shook hands with CEO Park Chanjun.

"Congratulations, CEO Park. We're in the same boat now. I look forward to working with you."

"The pleasure is ours. We'll work hard to make a significant contribution to San Marcos's economy."

This mine development was not a foreign investment.

It was essentially a joint venture: the San Marcos government, which contributed the mining rights as an in-kind investment, held 30%; Korea Zinc, which invested half of the total $500 million investment along with technical expertise, held 40%; and finally, the Tortilla Company, which invested the remaining half of the funds, held 30%.

Since the Tortilla Company was effectively Yu-jin's slush fund... no, practically a state-owned enterprise, it was the same as the government holding a 60% stake.

'At this level, we've got a firm grip on the initiative.'

After the ceremony, Yu-jin inspected the open-pit mine and the interior of the smelting plant alongside CEO Park Chanjun.

Massive crushers roared as they spun, and gray ore poured out onto the conveyor belts.

"What's the content level like?"

"Better than expected. The nickel content averages above 1.5%. Excluding Indonesia, it's among the highest in the world."

Park Chanjun continued his explanation while showing his tablet.

"What about production volume?"

"We plan to produce approximately 50,000 tons annually. Converted to revenue, that's about $700 million per year, and the net profit after production costs is estimated to be between $500 million and $600 million."

"That much profit?"

"We've introduced state-of-the-art equipment, and..."

He leaned in close to Yu-jin and spoke quietly.

"The labor costs here are so low that it makes it possible."

"Ah..."

"If we include the revenue from cobalt byproducts, it could be even more."

"That's truly impressive."

Yu-jin nodded, deeply amazed.

'If the net profit is $600 million, the government and the Tortilla Company would be pulling in $360 million. Add employment effects and corporate taxes on top of that, and this is practically like mining gold.'

Park Chanjun began explaining the operations to the awestruck Yu-jin.

"The mined ore is processed into nickel matte at this primary smelter. After that, it's transported to the port and shipped to a smelter in Korea, where it will be made into the final product."

"I'd appreciate it if you could increase the local processing ratio."

"Of course. We have plans to build a factory within three years to produce the finished product on-site."

"You'd go that far?"

"When you factor in shipping costs, local production is incomparably more advantageous. And as I mentioned earlier, we can take advantage of the low labor costs."

"I really don't know what to say..."

"There's no need to feel burdened. We simply chose the option that's most profitable."

It was perfect. They weren't just selling raw materials; by attracting a factory as well, the employment benefits would multiply further.

"Very well. I'll place my trust entirely in you, CEO Park."

"I won't let you down."

Yu-jin's steps were lighter than they had ever been.

***

Meanwhile, on a mountain overlooking the capital city of Libertad in San Marcos, dozens of stonemasons and military engineers had gathered.

The person who had brought them all there was none other than Isabella. She looked up at the sheer cliff face and smiled with satisfaction.

"Starting now, we will carve His Excellency's face into this cliff. Just like Mount Rushmore in America. So that every citizen of Libertad will see His Excellency's benevolent smile first thing when they open their eyes each morning."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Then begin the blasting."

At Isabella's signal, the engineering corps brought over crates containing explosives.

Pedro, who had come to the site after hearing the engineering corps had been called up and figured he'd visit his niece while he was at it, asked with a dumbfounded look.

"You're actually going through with this? Didn't His Excellency forbid it?"

"His Excellency forbade erecting a statue. He never forbade carving a bust."

"But that's the same..."

"That's not important. What matters is the fact that the people want to behold His Excellency's noble visage."

Isabella gazed at the cliff, her face flushed with excitement.

"Once this sculpture is completed, His Excellency will surely be pleased too."

Already, her mind was filled with the image of Yu-jin's face, carved into the cliff, watching over Libertad, the heart of San Marcos.

Boom!

With the sound of the explosion, work began on the monument that would one day come to symbolize San Marcos.

*****

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